The invention relates to a strap wrench, hereinafter referred to as an in-line strap wrench, particularly for use in tightening or loosening screw type connectors situated in a cluster or whereby a typical perpendicular to the connector wrenching device cannot be accommodated or used due to workspace constraints.
The in-line strap wrench is a wrenching tool with an anchored flexible non-metallic strap that is placed around the rotating part of a screw type connector, the strap then being slide fitted and adjusted in one of two angular slots on the tool for the purpose of tightening or loosening the connector. With proper fitting and adjustment of the strap, a proper rotation of the tool, which is generally parallelingly in line but offset from the axis of the connector, causes a bight by the strap being restricted on the connector that will, depending on the slot used, tighten or loosen the connector and at the same time prevent if from damaging the connector in any manner.
This invention falls in the category of strap wrenches of the type comprising a non-metallic flexible band having an adjustable size where one end of the strap is anchored to the tool and the other end of the strap is not attached and is meant to pass through a slot on the same tool; examples of this type of strap wrench are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 701,489; 2,186,430; 2,995,965; and 4,750,389.
This invention also falls within that category of strap wrenches of the type that have a turning motion that produces the wrenching action that is in line but offset from the axis of the device being turned; examples of this type of strap wrench can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,787,924; 2,995,965; 3,962,936; 4,506,568; 4,646,593; 4,750,389; 4,987,804; and 6,089,126.
This invention also falls within that category of strap wrenches that is elemental in that the strap wrench element of the tool requires a separate turning device such as a nut driver, socket drive, torque measuring screwdriver, and other such drives to provide the effective turning motion for the tool to work properly; examples of this type of strap wrench can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,995,965; 3,962,936; 4,506,568; 4,646,593; 4,750,389; 4,987,804; 6,089,126.